Chapter 35: Blood Cloud Bandits
"Don't randomly experiment with the glabella space," said Fairy Meng. "A random attempt might allow you to discover all sorts of benefits, but it might also bring about an irreversible problem. Leave everything to nature."
Meng Chuan nodded.
"Let nature take its course. In your cultivation, you will naturally be able to grasp a portion of its uses," said Fairy Meng with a smile. "This is the safest method. Once you enter Archean Mountain and find manuals regarding it, you will understand how to use it completely."
"Yes, Grandaunt," Meng Chuan replied respectfully. This was also the reason why he asked his father and grandaunt about this. It was an unknown power. Without the experiences of his predecessors, experimenting on his own would be too dangerous!
Now that he had the confidence to grasp Force in a short period, there was no need to take the risk.
"Also, you have to keep the glabella space a secret." Fairy Meng swept her gaze across the father and son. "We definitely can't tell anyone else."
"Yes," the father and son replied.
…
After visiting his grandaunt, Meng Chuan returned to Mirror Lake Meng Manor and continued with his eight thousand repetitions of the Saber Drawing Stance.
In the training grounds.
A guard with a crossbow stood on the tree branch and aimed at the ground.
As he stood dozens of feet away, Meng Chuan's saber remained inside the scabbard.
This feeling is completely different from the past. Meng Chuan could clearly sense the movements of the guard on the tree. The guard first looked at his young master, and the muscles in his hands began to tense up. Then, he pulled the trigger with his finger. During the process of pulling the trigger, Meng Chuan clearly sensed the moment the arrow inside the crossbow was fired.
Whoosh.
The moment the guard's fingers moved, Meng Chuan's figure flashed.
When the flying arrow flew out, a blade beam streaked across the air, hitting the red dot on the arrow shaft.
"Ah!" The guard jumped in fright as the saber beam flew at him. It came very close to the repeating crossbow in his hand.
"This, this…" The guard was frightened. Even the other guards and servants who were watching were shocked.
Had the arrow been sliced the moment it was fired? The distance was too close.
Warriors also had reaction times. Average reaction times allowed a flying arrow to fly some distance.
"This is a prediction." Seeing how shocked the guards were, Meng Chuan casually made up a reason. "Ma San shot this crossbow countless times. When I predicted that he would fire the arrow, I immediately attacked… Indeed, the moment the flying arrow flew out, I immediately hit it."
"Young Master, that's amazing."
"Young Master, your prediction is really accurate." Everyone praised him.
Meng Chuan smiled.
Predictions required rich experience and also some luck. This was because a powerful warrior's actions were blurry under the naked eye. For example, how long would a Marrow Cleansing guard take to pull the trigger? Besides, with the robe and tree branches concealing him, even if one could vaguely see the guard's actions with the naked eye, it would be too late to act.
Meng Chuan was different.
He was able to "sense" everything in an extremely detailed manner. The changes in the guard's gaze and how he prepared to pull the trigger… everything was extremely clear.
There was no need to predict; he could attack the moment he "saw" it.
If that's the case, I'll be able to hit an arrow every time it flies out. It'll be hard for me to train my saber arts. Hmm, I have to set rules for myself. I have to wait until the arrow is released before attacking. He made up his mind. He had always pursued speed and accuracy when it came to the Saber Drawing Stance!
"Again," Meng Chuan instructed.
"Yes." Ma San immediately composed himself. It had been terrifying to see the saber beam fly past him.
Swoosh.
He fired another flying arrow. Meng Chuan still saw the entire process clearly. However, he only drew his saber and attacked when the arrow was shot out.
With his movement technique, the ethereal saber beam had already sliced through the red spot on the arrow shaft. The saber beam landed on the tree trunk wrapped in metal and left a mark.
Young Master didn't make any predictions. Only then did the guards and servants calm down. This was normal! This was how their young master had attacked in the past when he did eight thousand daily repetitions of the Saber Drawing Stance.
He had started his daily repetitions of the Saber Drawing Stance a little later today because he had gone to the ancestral mansion. It would probably be afternoon by the time he finished.
…
Eastcalm Prefecture. At an ordinary residence.
A fat man wearing a hat and a bearded man came to the door and knocked on it.
The door opened, and a simian-looking man glanced outside. He immediately smiled and said, "Second Lord Zhao, please come in."
"Mm." The bearded man responded tersely. With a smile, the fat man followed behind his second brother.
The simian-looking man led the two into the residence and arrived at a hall.
"Brother Zhao." A silver-haired elder in the hall smiled as he cupped his hands together. A subordinate stood behind him.
"Have the stewards received all my goods?" The bearded man sat down casually, while the fat man sat to his side.
"We received them. I received the goods in three batches. According to the 50% discount, it will be 16,800 taels of silver. Rounding up, it'll be 17,000 taels of silver," said the silver-haired elder with a smile. "Brother Zhao, are you satisfied?"
The bearded man nodded slightly. "Those are ordinary goods. I still have a few valuable goods."
"Please, do tell." The silver-haired elder's eyes lit up.
"The first one is a jade horse." The bearded man took out a wooden box. When the wooden box was opened, a jade horse placed on its side could be seen. The jade horse was slightly bigger than his palm and was milky-white and warm. However, the white jade horse's surface strangely emitted a red luster.
"This is an ornament that's carved from top-grade jade. It should be something that a Godfiend treasured. It might have been placed on a Godfiend's desk. After spending a long time together, the aura of a Godfiend has already been infused into it." The silver-haired elder nodded slightly. "It's not very helpful for cultivation, but it's indeed a rare item. I can give you 5,000 taels of silver for it."
"5,500 taels," said the bearded man.
"Alright, as you wish, Brother Zhao. 5,500 taels." The silver-haired elder laughed.
Following that were the second, third, and fourth treasures. Together, they cost a total of 20,000 taels of silver. Each item was rare.
"This is the last item. This is a real treasure," said the bearded man seriously. As he spoke, he took off his coat and robe. He then took out the mysterious item wrapped in cotton cloth.
The silver-haired elder observed carefully.
The bearded man unwrapped the cotton cloth, and immediately, a rich, domineering aura emanated.
"A Godfiend aura? Could it be a Godfiend legacy?" The silver-haired elder had some guesses, but when he saw the item within, he frowned. "It's so small? Why aren't there any words?"
This was a broken piece of black metal. It was only the size of a palm. Even an ordinary page of a Godfiend legacy would be the size of normal paper.
"What is this?" asked the silver-haired elder.
"I don't know."
The big-bearded man said, "This black metal piece doesn't have any words on its surface. It doesn't have any moves. At the same time, it's damaged as well. However… the Godfiend aura it emanates is extremely domineering. It's much stronger than the remnant pages of ordinary Godfiend legacies."
"Perhaps it's a tiny fragment of a Godfiend weapon," said the silver-haired elder with a smile. "I'm willing to offer 3,000 taels."
"It can't be a weapon." The bearded man shook his head. "It's very flat, like a piece of paper. I can't imagine any weapon to have such a fragment."
"Have you tried accepting the legacy?" asked the silver-haired elder.
Godfiend legacies allowed one to immerse themselves within to see the moves of Godfiends. It passed on the legacy through intent.
For example, the remnant page of the Godfiend saber art Third Elder had given Meng Chuan was a legacy passed down through intent.
"No." The bearded man shook his head. "The few Impervious realm experts in our fort have tried all methods, but none have worked."
"Then this isn't a Godfiend legacy," said the silver-haired elder with a smile. "Although the Godfiend aura is extremely dense, I won't offer more than 5,000 taels for an item that doesn't have any use—even if it's related to Godfiends."
"100,000 taels of silver," said the bearded man. "Not one penny less."
"100,000 taels?" The silver-haired elder widened his eyes. "A true Godfiend legacy's fragmentary page does cost more than 100,000 taels. However, you are unable to accept the legacy at all. You don't even know what it is. Why would you ask for such a high price?"
"Firstly, the Blood Cloud Bandits paid quite a sizable price for this black metal piece. Secondly, given its extremely powerful Godfiend aura, it must be extraordinary," the bearded man said. "100,000 taels was a price set by my elder brother. If you want it, you have to pay 100,000 taels."
"Wait here. Let me ask my master," said the silver-haired elder as he nodded at his subordinate.
"Alright." The bearded man and the fat man waited patiently.
Soon—
An elegant man walked over.
"Brother Zhao." The elegant man smiled as he nodded. At the same time, he glanced at the black metal piece and hesitated. "Can I take a look?"
"Sure." The bearded man nodded.
The elegant man gently stroked the black metal piece after he held it in hand. After looking at it for a long time, he said, "Indeed, the aura of a Godfiend is extremely strong, but it's very likely a fragment of a powerful Godfiend's personal belongings. It might not be of any use at all. I can offer 20,000 taels of silver at most for the gamble."
"I've already said that it's 100,000 taels, nothing less," said the bearded man.
"Then there's nothing we can do about that." The elegant man shook his head gently.
"Sure."
The big-bearded man nodded with a smile. "We will stay in Eastcalm Prefecture for a few days. If you change your mind, you can find us again. You know very well how to find us."
"Alright." The elegant man nodded.
"This is the 38,000 taels of silver in banknotes that we previously agreed on." The silver-haired elder placed a stack of silver notes there. The bearded man flipped through them after taking them. Each note had a face value of 1000 taels of silver, so there were a total of 38 notes.
"It's time for us to leave. There's no need to send us off." The bearded man led the fat man away.
The elegant man watched them leave before he frowned, and said, "Butler Fang, quickly draw the black metal piece and make it look identical. After you're done, we'll visit the Branch Master."
"Yes," the silver-haired elder replied respectfully.
The elegant man pondered. The Branch Master might be able to identify what that treasure is.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone